Our Travels: Fun on the Fundy Trail
The wonders of New Brunswick’s famous route still linger in this traveller’s heart by Lauren Bauman, Kitchener
Exploring the famous New Brunswick route was a definite highlight on this Maritime vacation.
My husband Larry and I recently took a long-overdue road trip to Canada’s East Coast. One of the highlights was spending a sunny, spring day at the Fundy Trail overlooking the Bay of Fundy, less than an hour’s drive east of Saint John, N.B.
We stopped first at the picturesque village of St. Martins, close to the trail’s main entrance, where we were charmed by the sight of two covered bridges, lighthouses, craft shops and seafood restaurants, as well as a sweeping stretch of beach. When we first arrived at midday, the tide had risen and ocean waters lapped at the shoreline and crept into the craggy openings of giant sea caves. This was our first glimpse into the
Bay of Fundy’s tides, which are the highest in the world. I could visualize the Mi’kmaq legend that describes the tides as a whale’s thrashing tail sloshing the waves around.
During our return hours later at low tide, we could walk along the cobbled ocean floor directly into the caves that seemed to dwarf us. It was strange to see fishing boats that had previously been bobbing at the wharf, now resting in mud.
Hugging the Fundy escarpment on the Bay of Fundy, the Fundy Trail is actually a 2,559-hectare linear park and ecosystem that is part of two UNESCO designated sites, Stonehammer UNESCO Global Geopark (the first in North America) and the Fundy Biosphere Reserve.
We drove along a winding, 19-kilometre parkway with spectacular views of endless blue waters and jagged cliffs that plunged as much as 157 metres. We saw amazing rock formations with a geological history dating back 450 million years.
You can walk, hike, or bike a ten-kilometre, multi-use section of the coastal trail, or even do overnight wilderness treks, but we only had one day. We chose to park at marked, scenic lookouts and take short hikes, described as “footpaths” in the handy map and guide provided with the under $10 adult-entrance
fee—truly a bargain!
My camera started clicking as we made our way along each pretty footpath with their aptly named destinations—fox Rock, Flower Pot Rock and the Sea Captain’s Burial Grounds—and it didn’t stop all day. We climbed down a cable ladder to a platform at the base of Fuller Falls, which dropped 15 metres. Red sandstone rocks, green foliage, white spray—click!
My favourite hike had to be crossing an 84-metre suspension bridge over the Big Salmon River. Then we sat on rocks along the riverbank, just soaking in the sun and serenity while watching fellow hikers navigate the bridge, especially the young ones and the young at heart.
Along the way, we briefly visited the Interpretive Centre and Heritage Sawmill to learn about the logging and shipbuilding industries that thrived in communities there during the 1800s and early 1900s. Further along the road, we stopped at the Big Salmon River lookout, which gave a different perspective on the river below, where lumber-carrying ships once headed out with the tides to faraway shores.
Most awe-inspiring were the many different lookouts along the route. Nothing is more dramatic and distinctively Canadian than the varying canvases of cliffs, rocks and trees silhouetted against wavy shores and sparkling seas. The Hairpin Turn lookout lived up to its name.
Dotting the Fundy Trail coastline are secluded beaches, each with their own character, ranging from sandy to rocky and changing with the tides. Yet another lookout showcased the 2.5-kilometre panoramic Long Beach—my eyes were drawn to the symmetry of the azure horizon.
Every province that I’ve been lucky enough to visit has its special place that lingers in your heart. New Brunswick’s Fundy Trail was mine. Before leaving, I sipped a cup of warm, seafood chowder from a restaurant in St. Martins—a perfect ending to a sublime day. n